Curtain-fixture for open cars.



PATENTBD APR. 18, 1905.

G. E. G1LMAN.

CURTAIN FIXTURE POR OPEN GARS.

APPLIGATION FILED PEB. 13, 1905.

UNTTED STATES Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT @Tricia CURTAIN-FIXTURE FOR OPEN CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,841, dated April 18, 1905.

Application tiled February 13, 1905. Serial No. 245,486.

Be it known that l, Gnonon E. Gnamx, a citizen of the United States, residing at rest Newbury, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful improvements in Curtain-Fixtures for Open Cars, of which the following is a speei lication.

This invention relates to railway-cars of the type commonly known as open streetcars," and has special reference to an improved curtain-fixture adapted to such cars and comprising simple and practical means for ell`ectivel y protecting the passengers from storms and other weather conditions.

To this end the invention contemplates a curtain so constructed and mounted as to be easily raised and lowered at all times and under all conditions without the possibility of becoming wedged or otherwise caught within the guides therefor.

A further object in this connection is to associate with the flexible body of the curtain means Vfor stiffening and bracing the same throughout, whereby in strong winds the curtain will maintain its stretched condition and weatherproof mounting without the bellying out which is common to many types of street-car curtains now in use.

One of the distinctive objects of the present invention is to provide a curtain-fixture wherein the curtain is arranged to be guided entirely outside of the plane of the seat ends, while at the same time having its edges so guided and protected as to prevent wind and rain driving about such edges into the car. Also in the same connection the invention provides an improved base piece or section which materially contributes to the steady guiding of the curtain, while at the same time acting in the capacity of a weatherboard and brace which is designed when the curtain is lowered to overlap and extend below the plane of the floor of the car, thus entirely obviating the wind or rain beating into the car beneath the bottom of the car, while at the same time not interfering ,with the free passage-way along the running-board- Another object is to so construct and arrange the parts as to act as acounterbalance for the spriiig-actuated wimling-roller for the curtain, thus permitting the latter to be easily raised and lowered and also permitting it to remain stationary in any adjusted position.

With these and other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

The essential features of the invention involved in carrying out the objects above indicated are necessarily susceptible to some structural changes without departing from the scope of the invention, but a preferred embodiment of the latter is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elc\f'ation of a portion of an open street-car equipped with the curtain-fixture constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 isa central vertical sectional view of the construction shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 4 il of Fig. l, illustrating the Vfastening connection between the bottom edge of the flexible curtain-body and the top edge of the wide base-board constituting the bottom section of the curtain.

Lilie reference-numorals designate corresponding parts in the several ligures of the drawings.

The invention is applicable to any of the ordinary types of open street-cars, so 'for illustrative purposes there is shown in the drawings a section of a street-car of this type einbodying in its general organization the floor l, a roof-section 2, the transversely-arranged seats 3, and a series of upright side posts i, extending Vfrom the loor to the said roof-section, and which side posts are arranged at the end of the seats and usually have mounted on the outer sides thereof the grabarons or handles to facilitate the passengers in getting on and oll' of the car. There is also associated with the car-body the usual running-board pendent from the Hoor-beams at the sides.

In adapting the invention to an open streetcar of the type described it is essential that the side posts 4 at the ends of the car-seats be arranged to extend down to the floor of the car-body in a plane outside the ends of the seats and the supports therefor. These side posts 4 in some cars are perfectly straight and extend in true perpendicular lines from the floor of the car-body to the roof-section, while in other types of cars these guide-posts are arranged on curved lines about the seat ends, as shown in the accompanying drawings. hile under some conditions it may be necessary to modify the posts to form proper guiding-grooves to accommodate the curtain proper, yet it will be understood that the improvements may be readily associated with either straight or curved side posts without affecting the essential features of the invention.

In all embodiments of the invention the side posts 4 at the ends of the car-seats are formed in their opposing edges with deep guiding-grooves 7, extending longitudinally from end to end thereof and designed to freely and slidably accommodate therein the opposite side edges of the flexible curtain-body 8, which is designed to cover and uncover the passage-way formed between the said opposing side posts. The opposite side edges of the flexible curtain-body project into the grooves 7 practically the full width of the latter and insure these edges being held permanently in this relation to the grooves. The curtain-body has associated therewith a series of transverse hatten-strips 9, extending transversely across the curtain the full width thereof and also having their ends projected into the guiding-grooves 7 of the side posts. The said transverse batten-strips preferably consist of narrow metallic bars held in place upon the curtain-body within narrow casings 10, of flexible material, stitched or otherwise permanently secured to the body of the curtain. The hatten-strips are arranged in regular spaced order upon the curtain and provide for stiffening the same throughout in addition to performing their function of permanently holding the edges deeply seated in the guiding-grooves 7, and hence maintaining the said edges of the curtain in such position as to effectually prevent wind and rain from driving into the car about such edges; also, by reason of the stiffening effect provided by the hatten-strips the curtainbody is prevented from bellying out in high winds.

The curtain-body, made up of the usual flexible sheet portion and the batteri-strips referred to, is arranged to wind and unwind upon an ordinary type of springactuated roller 11, mounted in suitable hangers within sired elevation.

the roof-section 2 of the car-body, said roller subserving its ordinary function of providing a lifting means for the curtain to facilitate the raising thereof.

A distinctive feature of the invention resides in associating with the bottom edge of the flexible curtain-body 8 a wide baseboard 12, constituting the bottom section of the curtain. This wide base-board preferablyhas a detachable yet thoroughly weatherproof connection with the bottom edge of the curtain. This connection is effected by forming the base-board in the top edge thereof with a longitudinal kerf 13, receiving therein the bottom folded edge 14 of the curtainbody and within which bottom folded edge is inserted a metallic binding-strip 15. The said folded edge 14, with the metallic binding-strip 15 therein, snugly registers in the kerf 13 and is held securely yet detachably therein by means of a plurality of securingbolts 16 passing through the upper edge portion of the base-board 12.

The wide base-board 12 is provided upon the inner and outer sides thereof with the inner and outer lifting-buttons 17 and 18, respectively, and also has projected from its inner side a stop-pin 19, adapted to engage with the floor of the car when the curtain is entirely lowered. The stop-pin or projection 19 is arranged intermediate the top and bottom edges of the wide base-board 12, so that when the latter is in its lowermost position it overlaps and projects a material distance below the level of the Hoor 1, thus providing an eective weatherboard which absolutely prevents wind and rain working into the carbody beneath the bottom edge of the curtain.

The wide base-board 12 has its opposite ends slidably working in the deep guidinggrooves 7 and is provided in such ends with spring-recesses 20, in which are mounted normally outwardly pressing check-springs 21, which frictionally and slidably engage the bases of the grooves 7 and act in the capacity of a counterbalance (in connction with the weight of the board 12) to the spring-actuated winding-roller 11, thus permitting the curtain to be raised and lowered with great facility, while at the same time providing means for checking or retaining it at any de- To insure the guiding of the base-board to its extreme lowered position, it is preferable to have the curved side posts 4 project slightly below the floor-level.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction and many advantages of the herein-described curtain-fixture will be readily apparent without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacricing any of the advantages thereof,

IOO

IIO

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a curtain-'fixture for open cars, the Combination of the ear-body having oppositel v-arranged side posts disposed outside of the seat ends and provided in their opposing edges with guiding-grooves, a suitably-arranged winding-roller, and the flexible curtain-bod)v winding and unwinding on said roller and having its side edges working in said grooves, said curtain-body being provided at its bottom edge with a rigid baseboard adapted to overlap and project below the car-floor level.

2. In a curtain-fixture for open cars, the eombination with the car-bod),v having side posts disposed outside of the seat ends and provided with longitudinal guiding-grooves, a suitably-arranged winding-roller, a flexible curtain-body winding and unwinding on said roller and having its edges projecting into said grooves, a series of rigid transverse batten-strips extending across the curtain-body the full width thereof and having their ends also projecting into said grooves, and a rigid base-board fitted to the bottom edge of the curtain-body and arranged to overlap and project below the level of the car-floor.

53. In a curtain-fixture for open cars, the combination with the car-body having side posts (ilisposed outside of the seat ends and provided with longitudinal guiding-grooves therein, a flexible curtain-bodyhaving its side edges held and guided in said grooves, a spring-actuated winding-roller for the curtain-body, and a wide rigid base-board secured to the bottom edge of the roller and having its ends working in said guidinggrooves, said wide baseboard being arranged to overlap and project below the level of the car-floor and provided at its ends with check` ing-springs frictionally engaging the bases of the guiding-grooves.

4. In a curtaindixture -for open cars, the combination with the car-body having side posts disposed outside of the seat ends and provided with longitudinal guiding-grooves therein, a flexible curtain-body having its side edges held and guided in said grooves and provided with a folded bottom edge, a metallic binding-strip inserted in said folded bottom edge, a rigid wide base-board provided in its top edge with a kerf receiving the folded bottom edge of the curtain-body, and fastening devices passed through the baseboard and the curtain edge therein.

5. ln a curtain-fixture for open cars, the combination with the car-body having side posts disposed outside of the seat ends and provided therein with longitudinal guidinggrooves, a flexible curtain-body having its edges held and guided in said grooves, a suitably-arranged winding-roller for said curtain-body, and a wide rigid base-board secured to the lower edge of the curtain-body and provided with inner and outer liftingknobs and also with an inner stop-pin, thc latter being adapted to arrest the baseboard in a position in which it overlaps and projects below the level of the ear-floor.

In testimon)T whereof l aflix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE E. GI'IJMAN.

Vitnesses CHARLES G. PRAY, EnwARn H. RowELL. 

